Japan travel Blog : Ginzan-Onsen , it’s a nostalgic hot spring town in Yamagata

At the end of October, when the autumn leaves begin to change color a bit, I took a one-day trip to Ginzan Onsen after a long absence.

The day was unusually sunny for autumn, and we were able to enjoy the Taisho-romantic hot spring resort town in full primary colors.

Also, upstream of the Shiragin Falls at the far end of the hot spring resort area, the sunlight filtering through the yellowing trees illuminated the stream of the Ginzan River, making for an excellent walking experience.

We also enjoyed gourmet food!

Since it was a day trip, we couldn’t enjoy the hot spring resort with twinkling gas lamps, but Ginzan Onsen in the daytime was also great.

Date of visit: October 25, 2024

Basic information about Ginzan Onsen

Name : Ginzan Onsen
Location : Obanazawa-city, Yamagata 990-4333
　　　　　Ginzan Shinbata
Features:
This hot spring resort is located in the valley of the Ginzan River in Obanazawa City, which is known for its heavy snowfall in Yamagata Prefecture.
Lined with historic ryokans with multi-storied wooden buildings that are registered as cultural assets, many bridges cross the Ginzan River that runs through the hot spring resort, and the cobblestone sidewalks are lit by gas lamps.
The nostalgic atmosphere of the Taisho Romantic era has made this hot spring resort town popular throughout Japan.
The path to the Ginkeng-do Cave has been maintained as a walking trail.

Official Site of Ginzan Onsen

Location / Access

Location

Ginzan Onsen is located in the valley of Ginzan River in the mountainous area after entering Obanazawa City from National Route 13/Tohoku Chuo Highway, which runs through Yamagata, and passing through the urban area.

Access

If you are going by Shinkansen

The nearest station to Ginzan Onsen by Yamagata Shinkansen is JR Oshida Station.
If you have reserved a hotel/inn, they will provide a shuttle bus from Oshida Station.

The distance from Oshida Station to Ginzan Onsen is 17.4 km (24 minutes by car) via Route 347.

If you have not reserved a hotel/inn, the following three options are available for access.

• Bus
  There is a regular bus service from Oishida Station to Ginzan Onsen.
  Hanagasa bus
• Cab
  Cab fare from Oishida Station to Ginzan Onsen is about 7,000 yen one way.
  For a one-day trip, there is a sightseeing plan that includes a 2-hour cab charter.
  Obanazawa Taxi
• Car Rental
  There are no car rental offices near Oshida Station.
  If you wish to rent a car, you will need to get off at another station.

If you are going by plane

If you are flying in, use Yamagata Airport located in Higashine City.

The distance from Yamagata Airport to Ginzan Onsen is 37.2 km (50 minutes by car) via National Route 13.

The following three options are available for access from the airport.

• Bus
  There is a regular bus service from Yamagata Airport to Ginzan Onsen.
  regular bus service
• Cab
  Cab fare from Yamagata Airport to Ginzan Onsen is about 14,000 yen one way.
• Car Rental
  There is a car rental counter in the arrival lobby on the 1st floor.

Diary of visitation

Ginzan Onsen is located along a valley in the mountains.

After crossing the mountain and descending into the valley, there is a tourist information center on the right, where we received a map of the area around Ginzan Onsen.

The red thing on the left side of the information center was the shuttle bus stop, and we were supposed to “press the button to call the bus”.

Just beyond the information center, there is Meiyuan, a Ginzan specialty of Mr. Hai-Kara’s Curly Bread.

Here was a tragedy.

I didn’t buy a souvenir loaf of Curly Bread when I arrived, thinking I would buy it on my way home, but to my surprise, when I left around midnight, it was already sold out, even though it was a weekday!

It’s okay. I went to the Taisho Romankan Museum, but they were sold out there too!
What a disappointment. I could not eat the Curly Bread this time.

If you want it, you should buy it as soon as you find it.

Quoted from: Meiyuan

Shirogane-bashi / Tofu in a footbath

After crossing the Shirogane Bridge, we are finally in Ginzan Onsen town.
The view from the bridge has already put a grin on my face.

When you arrive, the first thing to do is tofu. The first thing you need to do when you arrive is tofu.
You can’t start without eating it in the footbath.

Additive-free, handmade deep-fried tofu and fresh tofu.
The deep-fried tofu is covered with nama shoyu (soy sauce) and the nama-tofu with dashi shoyu (Japanese soup stock). Very tasty.

The footbath is located outdoors facing the Ginzan River and offers a view of the hot spring resort area.

A trendy new restaurant was built around the footbath.
Tofu is good, but this one looks delicious too!

Across the Ginzan River is Izu no Hana, famous for its Ginzan Onsen specialty, deep-fried eggplant grated soba (buckwheat noodles).
Not only is the soba noodles here great, but the sweet and coffee are also excellent.

Stunning wooden multi-story ryokan

Then there is the impressive wooden multi-story ryokan.

Near the footbath is Kozankaku, a ryokan with wonderful trowel paintings.

A little further on, the large ryokan on the right is Kosekiya Annex.

On the first floor of Kosekiya Annex, there is “Aira Sugeina”, a Taisho-roman experience rental costume shop, where you can stroll around Ginzan Onsen in Western-style clothing from the Taisho Era (1912-1926).

Beyond that is the Honkan Kosekiya (tangible cultural property).

And across the Ginzan River is the Notoya Ryokan (tangible cultural property), a symbol of Ginzan Onsen, and the Ryokan Nagasawa Heihachi is located behind it.

Strolling along the historic wooden multi-story inns that line both banks of the Ginzan River, one feels a sense of appreciation for the good old days.

Shiragin Falls and Sekotoi Bridge

Beyond the hot springs area is Baigin Park, where there are walking trails leading to Baigin Waterfall and Yinkeng Cave.

Follow the Ginzan River on the left and you will come to the Shiragin Falls.

Then, to the left, you will find the ruins of the Hydrophobic Reservoir.

If you climb the stone steps on the left, you will find Yinkeng Cave at the far end, but even if you do not go that far, you should at least go as far as Sekotoi Bridge.

I was more impressed by the view from the Sekotoi Bridge of the Seshinkyo Gorge and the Laion Waterfall than by the White Silver Waterfall.

The sunlight streaming through the yellow trees illuminated the mirror-like scenery of the gorge.

I don’t like to go to Yinkeng-dong because it is too far and I am afraid of bears, but if you go up to Sekotai Bridge, it is only a short walk up the stone steps and there are many tourists, so you can safely walk around up to this point.

I highly recommend a visit.

Gourmet food after a stroll

Sipping Soba at Takimitei

After strolling around, we decided to have lunch before it got too crowded.

There are many attractive places to eat in Ginzan Onsen, but this time we had soba noodles at Takimitei.

As the name suggests, you can enjoy soba noodles while viewing a waterfall.

Takimitei is a buckwheat noodle restaurant operated by “Takimikan, the inn of waterfalls and buckwheat noodles” located on a mountain in Ginzan Onsen town.

The inn’s signboard says “freshly ground/freshly beaten/freshly boiled” local buckwheat noodles.

It was a plate of soba (2.5 servings) and tempura.
Without a doubt, it is a first-class delicious buckwheat noodle.

Baked marshmallow cocoa at Sake Tea House Crier

Then, I was really curious about “Fluffy roasted marshmallows on top of homemade cocoa,” so I paid a visit to “Sake Tea House Creator.

The restaurant is Taisho retro, and we were lucky enough to find a private room on the second floor available.
From the window, you can see Notoya on the opposite side of the room.

This is the baked cocoa of my dreams.
The cocoa is refreshing and easy to drink, while the baked marshmallow is firm and sweet.
It was delicious to drink and eat as it is, without forcing it to mix. Satisfying.

My wife had coffee and pudding.
Both the caramel and the pudding were solid pudding, completely different from the soft pudding.
The pudding was as good as the coffee.

Shirogane, a hot-spring restaurant

The restaurant at the end of the hot spring resort area has changed to “Yukemuri Shokudo Shirogane”.

It is a chic black store with a casual atmosphere that offers both takeout and in-store dining.

The menu is quite appealing, and you can dine while enjoying a view of the hot spring resort.
I think I will aim for this place next time.

Conclusion

It was my first time in Ginzan Onsen in probably 5 years, but I was very satisfied.

There are so many new stores that match the hot spring resort area, and there are so many attractive stores that I had to settle for three this time, but I would like to go to all of them in the future.

Some of the inns seemed to have been renovated to match the landscape, and they were very crowded.

Somehow, the nostalgic hot spring resort town full of Taisho Romanticism seemed to be evolving to be more loved. On top of that, the harmony with nature is as beautiful as ever.

Even though it was a weekday, I was a little taken back by the large number of inbound Chinese-like tourists, but thanks to them, Ginzan Onsen was bustling with people.
Everyone was happy to take pictures, and as a Japanese, I felt a little snub-nosed.

It was really wonderful to visit Ginzan Onsen in the daytime.
Next time, I would like to stay overnight and enjoy the night time atmosphere of the hot spring resort with its twinkling gas lamps.